A Tale of Two Courts: Settling In After a Season of Change

Students of history will remember a bygone era known as late 2018, when Mark Martin was Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, the median judge on the shrinking Court of Appeals was elected in 2012, and your parents had purchased enough CDs to elevate the quaint twangs of Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line to the top of the country music charts.

Most recently, Governor Cooper yesterday tapped Reuben Young and Chris Brook to fill the two open seats on the Court of Appeals. Judge Young has had a long career of public service, including leadership within the Department of Public Safety, wearing the robe as a Special Superior Court Judge, and serving as Chief Legal Counsel in the Office of the Governor. Chris Brook likewise has had a career focused on advancing justice, from his time with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice to his leadership within the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina.

Now, before we look too far ahead to 2020—when at least three Supreme Court and five Court of Appeals seats will be on the ballot—let’s take a breath and see how far we’ve come:

The Supreme Court of North Carolina: Comparing April 2019 to December 2018

Incumbent as of December 2018

Joined the Court

Law School

New Incumbent as of April 2019

Joined the Court

Term Ends

Law School

Mark Martin, Chief Justice

1999

UNC

Cheri Beasley, Chief Justice

2013

2020

Tennessee

Paul Newby

2005

UNC

—

—

2020

—

Robin E. Hudson

2007

UNC

—

—

2022

—

Barbara Jackson

2010

UNC

Anita Earls

2019

2026

Yale

Cheri Beasley

2013

Tennessee

Mark Davis

2019

2020

UNC

Sam J. Ervin, IV

2015

Harvard

—

—

2022

—

Michael R. Morgan

2018

NC Central

—

—

2024

—

The North Carolina Court of Appeals: Comparing April 2019 to December 2018

Incumbent as of December 2018

Joined the Court

Law School

New Incumbent as of April 2019

Joined the Court

Term Ends

Law School

Linda M. McGee, Chief Judge

1995

UNC

—

—

2020

—

Wanda G. Bryant

2005

NC Central

—

—

2020

—

Donna Stroud

2007

Campbell

—

—

2022

—

Chris Dillon

2013

UNC

—

—

2020

—

Richard Dietz

2014

Wake Forest

—

—

2024

—

Lucy Inman

2015

UNC

—

—

2022

—

Valerie Zachary

2015

Harvard

—

—

2024

—

John M. Tyson

2015

Campbell

—

—

2022

—

Phil Berger Jr.

2017

Wake Forest

—

—

2024

—

Hunter Murphy

2017

McGeorge

—

—

2024

—

John S. Arrowood

2017

UNC

—

—

2026

—

Robert N. Hunter, Jr.

2008

UNC

Chris Brook

2019

2020

UNC

Rick Elmore

2002

NC Central

Allegra Collins

2019

2026

Campbell

Ann Marie Calabria

2002

Campbell

Toby Hampson

2019

2026

Campbell

Mark Davis

2013

UNC

Reuben Young

2019

2020

NC Central

If you’ll forgive a pedantic moment, I want to note that these 22 posts are quite difficult and demanding jobs, with salaries far below what any of these jurists could earn in the private sector. These are public servants. I’m grateful for all those who have served, and continue to serve, our State in this way.

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